This invention relates to the packing, storage and shipping of fodder and more specifically hay.
Hay and other vegetable fodder is often packed and stored for long periods for use during the winter season, or may need to be shipped to remote locations. For instance, alfalfa and other types of hay grown in the United States is commonly packed and shipped overseas to countries with limited land resources such as Japan. Storage and shipping costs require that the hay be compacted into high density bales of convenient size and weight. Typically, a standard 220 kilogram (100 pounds) bale is compacted to reduce its length by half. The compacted bale can be broken down by the user into bite-size morsels that limit spillage and tramping when they are pulled through the manger. The storage or shipping of compacted fodder which retains an excessive level of moisture leads to the development of molds and harmful fermentation. On the other hand, compacting under great pressure of certain categories of hay in a dry state leads to a shattering of the leaf structures and general pulverization of the product. This pulverization results in great losses during transport and subsequent handling. It is practically impossible to control the moisture level of a stack of baled hay. This moisture level can vary greatly from bale to bale depending upon the weather conditions at the time the hay in each bale was harvested, the location of the bale within the haystack and its exposure to sun, wind, rain and other environmental hazards. Accordingly, when bales of hay are broken down and repackaged in bulk into compacted units for shipment, the condition and quality of the fodder upon arrival at a point of use is subject to unpredictable variations.